“It’s about getting people to experience an entrepreneurial mindset and in many cases it’s about helping people change their lives for the better.”
1. Community! Community! Community! At it’s core, Startup Weekend is focused on the development of entrepreneurs, startup ecosystems, and communities around the globe. Our facilitators play a key role in ensuring our events provide maximum value to the community and contribute to the growth and strengthening of each ecosystem they operate in. Being a Startup Weekend Facilitator is a commitment to the community first. 2. Stewards of the Startup Weekend Brand/Experience Our Startup Weekend Facilitators are more than just emcee’s at events, we count on them to carry our brand’s torch and deliver the unique Startup Weekend experience to entrepreneurs around the globe.They are true evangelists of our entire global mission. A Startup Weekend Facilitator needs to be able to embody our brand and ensure the experience for our community is aligned with our philosophy. Simply, Facilitators are extensions of the team at Startup Weekend Headquarters. 3. Flexibility to adapt to others needs There is absolutely not a single ‘right way’ to do everything. This is especially true when it comes to very early stage entrepreneurial education. We don’t set the expectation that we know all the answers and neither should our facilitators. A great facilitator isn’t one that dictates how things are done, but is able to analyze the situation/climate and adapt their approach to create the most value for the entrepreneurs in attendance and for the greater community. The startup world is fast moving and intense and our events are no exception; flexibility is key to being a successful Startup Weekend Facilitator.
4. Humility A Startup Weekend Facilitator is not a person that feels the need to the face of something. The only entity that ‘owns’ the event is the community. That community (via the Organizing Team) invites us to be a part of that they’re doing for entrepreneurs and we’re honored to serve them through our events, but we should never be taking credit. Our Facilitators are key to representing that position on our behalf. We are a grassroots movement which has grown off of trust, loyalty, and humility and our Facilitators should embody this. Don’t be afraid to clean the bathrooms, take out trash or even step out of the spotlight and let the Lead Organizers take all the credit for the event. Your main goal is to make sure the event is successful and provide support where needed, not take the credit for it. 5. Connector A key piece of growing startup communities that we have observed is being able to connect diverse, yet like-minded people who may have never met before. At Startup Weekend we bring the community together in one central location for a weekend, creating the density needed for those individuals to meet. A great Facilitator should understand that but also want to maximize the connectivity by enabling connectivity whenever possible. Whether that turns out to be attendees with similar ideas at the event or connecting potential sponsors to the local organizing team, the importance of Facilitators being connectors before, during, and after the event cannot be overstated. 6. Momentum Magicians Momentum and energy are what makes Startup Weekend events. Dealing with the ups and downs of the chaotic and unpredictable events is exhausting. At times, Facilitators need to pull a little magic out of their sleeve to keep the momentum and reenergize the room. A world class Startup Weekend Facilitator can be thrown into the lowest of lows and still manage create an exciting experience for community. 7. Empathetic The ability to step into other people’s shoes and see things from their perspective is absolutely crucial to success as a Startup Weekend Facilitator. You will constantly face different personality types, cultures, and opinions so a strong SW Facilitator should be able to listen to and understand the exact needs of the people they are engaging with.
Marion Desmarières Paris, France "De l'Algerie au Canada faciliter des Startup Weekend est une expérience toujours aussi enrichissante qui montre à quel point notre organisation donne un coup de pouce aux communautés entrepreneuriales autour du monde." “From Algeria to Canada, facilitating SW’s has always been an extremely enriching experience that shows me how much SW empowers startup communities all around the world.”